Northern Block
Northern Block is a Toronto-based provider of Self-Sovereign Identity infrastructure built on Hyperledger Aries and Indy, serving government agencies, mining and energy firms, airlines, and large enterprises with the Orbit Enterprise platform, Orbit Edge Wallet, and Orbit Trust Registry for verifiable credential exchange.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Northern Block does
Northern Block is a Toronto-based private technology company founded in 2017 that builds Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) infrastructure for organizations that need to issue, verify, and exchange digital credentials in a privacy-preserving manner. Its platform is built on Hyperledger Aries and Indy frameworks and uses decentralized identifiers (DIDs), blockchain-based verifiable data registries, and governance frameworks to enable trust across counterparties. The company targets government agencies, mining and energy organizations, air travel operators, and large enterprises seeking to replace password-based and centralized identity systems with interoperable credential ecosystems.
The company's product portfolio centers on three components: Orbit Enterprise, the platform that organizations use to establish trusted digital interaction ecosystems with customers, partners, and suppliers; Orbit Edge Wallet, a mobile wallet application (iOS and Android) for receiving, storing, and presenting verifiable credentials; and Orbit Trust Registry, which provides authoritative trust information backed by governance frameworks. Supporting products include the Verified Person Credential (identity verification against government-issued IDs with biometric and forensic checks) and sector-specific solutions such as the Energy and Mines Digital Trust (EMDT). The platform supports W3C Verifiable Credentials, AnonCreds, DIDComm, and OpenID4VCI, with selective disclosure and zero-knowledge proof capabilities.
Northern Block monetizes through subscription-based access to Orbit Enterprise on a quote-based annual model, supplemented by professional services for implementation and customization. Go-to-market is primarily enterprise field sales to government and large organizations, supported by thought leadership via the SSI Orbit Podcast, content marketing, and active participation in industry events. The company has offices in Toronto (headquarters) and Gatineau, and operates primarily in Canada with reference customers and partners in the United States, Thailand, and Bhutan. Customers and partners include the Government of British Columbia, IATA, the Mining Association of Canada, CIRA, PwC Canada, Credivera, and esatus AG.
Northern Block firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Northern Block
- Legal name
- Northern Block Inc.
- Website
- https://northernblock.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Northern Block is a Toronto-based provider of Self-Sovereign Identity infrastructure built on Hyperledger Aries and Indy, serving government agencies, mining and energy firms, airlines, and large enterprises with the Orbit Enterprise platform, Orbit Edge Wallet, and Orbit Trust Registry for verifiable credential exchange.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Northern Block industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Identity Software
- akta.pro primary industry
- Compliance Identity & KYC/KYB for Wallets (on-chain identity, reusable KYC, travel rule tooling) (FSAPACAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fraud Prevention & Identity Verification (IDV/KYC) (BPAMAEAI), Single Sign-On (SSO) & Federation (SAML/OIDC, Identity Providers) (HDAEAJAB)
Keywords
Where Northern Block is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Northern Block business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Platform Subscriptions: Orbit Enterprise Platform subscription-based access for organizations building digital trust ecosystems. Includes credential management, trust registry functionality, and enterprise features.
- Professional Services: Implementation services, consulting, and customization support for organizations adopting SSI technology and verifiable credential solutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise Platform - Custom enterprise licensing with free trial available |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Northern Block product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Northern Block develops and sells self-sovereign identity (SSI) software products that enable organizations to issue, manage, and verify digital credentials and decentralized identities. Its portfolio includes the Orbit Enterprise platform for building trusted digital interaction ecosystems, the Orbit Edge Wallet mobile application for storing and presenting verifiable credentials, the Orbit Trust Registry for authoritative governance-backed trust frameworks, and the Verified Person Credential for high-assurance identity verification against government-issued IDs.
Product overview
Northern Block offers a platform-centric product portfolio centered on Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and digital trust solutions. The core offering consists of Orbit Enterprise (the enterprise platform for building digital trust ecosystems), Orbit Edge Wallet (the mobile wallet for credential management), and Orbit Trust Registry (for establishing authoritative trust frameworks). Supporting this platform are credential products including the Verified Person Credential (identity verification against government IDs), and specialized solution verticals such as Energy and Mines Digital Trust. The products support multiple credential formats (W3C Verifiable Credentials, AnonCreds) and exchange protocols (DIDComm, OpenID4VC/OID4VCI), enabling interoperability across the SSI ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Orbit Enterprise: Platform enabling organizations to establish trusted digital interactions ecosystem with customers, partners, and suppliers
- Orbit Edge Wallet
- Orbit Trust Registry
- Verified Person Credential
- SSI Orbit Podcast
Products and services
- Orbit Enterprise Enterprise-grade platform enabling organizations to establish trusted digital interaction ecosystems with customers, partners, and suppliers through verifiable credential issuance, verification, and trust registry integration.
- Orbit Edge Wallet Mobile digital wallet application available on iOS and Android that enables users to securely receive, store, and present verifiable credentials such as licenses, memberships, IDs, and permits.
- Orbit Trust Registry Platform for establishing credibility, verifying identities, and fostering secure interactions through authoritative trust registries backed by governance frameworks.
- Verified Person Credential Identity verification credential issued following authentication of government-issued ID with 50+ forensic and biometric tests, supporting documents from 196+ countries and aligned with Pan-Canadian Verified Person schema definitions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% digital identity adoption achieved by Bhutan in two years using similar SSI approaches
Companies that use Northern Block
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Northern Block technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Northern Block partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- IATA (International Air Transport Association)coreCollaboration with IATA and key industry partners to pilot Trust Registry for air travel. Demonstrated future of air travel with digital identity verification for nearly 400 airlines, enabling contactless travel and instant trust verification for travel agencies and passengers.
- CrediveracoreStrategic partnership announced October 28, 2024 between Northern Block and Credivera to accelerate adoption of digital trust ecosystems. Both companies are established digital credentialing and trust solutions providers in the Canadian market.
- Digital Governance Institute (DGI)coreStrategic partnership announced September 20, 2024 offering joint governance frameworks and digital trust solutions to help organizations establish credible digital identity and credential verification systems.
- Global Acceptance Network (GAN)coreNorthern Block joined as a founding member of the newly established Global Acceptance Network in September 2024. GAN focuses on enabling cross-border digital trust and acceptance of verifiable credentials.
- esatus AGcoreStrategic partnership bridging SSI to Identity and Access Management (IAM). esatus AG, based in Germany, integrates their IAM solutions with Northern Block's SSI platform to enable verifiable credentials for enterprise access management and employee onboarding.
- AgIDminorPartnership with AgID, the leader in digitally enabling Canadian agri-food sector, to create a trusted ecosystem of digital sustainability credentials for agricultural supply chain transparency.
- Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)coreOngoing collaboration with CIRA, which manages over three million .ca domains, exploring how DNS infrastructure can enable digital trust. Jointly published IETF Working Draft on DNS and digital trust. CIRA's DNSSEC-protected registry serves as authoritative source for trust verification.
- Government of British ColumbiacoreDemonstrated interoperability in sharing sustainability data using Orbit Enterprise Platform through the Energy & Mines Digital Trust (EMDT) initiative. Government of BC uses Northern Block solutions to enhance sustainability reporting between multiple parties.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Northern Block competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Prove (formerly Payfone): Prove is an established digital identity and KYC/verification vendor with strong telecom-network-based authentication. While not an SSI-native player, it competes in identity verification and reusable verified-person credential workflows similar to Northern Block's Verified Person Credential offering.
- Microsoft Entra Verified ID: Microsoft's enterprise verifiable credential service, part of the broader Entra identity portfolio, enables organizations to issue and verify workplace credentials using decentralized identity. As a Broader Incumbent, it overlaps with Northern Block on verifiable credential issuance/verification but benefits from being bundled into a dominant IAM suite.
Direct peers
- Dock Labs: Dock Labs provides a verifiable credentials platform (Certs) and decentralized identity infrastructure aimed at enterprises and credential issuers. Its focus on issuer-side credentialing and verifiable data registries directly overlaps Northern Block's Orbit Enterprise value proposition.
- Walt.id: Walt.id provides open-source SSI infrastructure (walt.id SSI Kit) for issuing, holding, and verifying verifiable credentials with EUDI Wallet alignment. Its open-source approach and SDK-based deployment model offer an alternative to Northern Block's Orbit Enterprise for developers and governments.
- Indicio: Indicio is a closely comparable SSI platform provider offering open-source verifiable credential infrastructure (built on Hyperledger Aries/Indy) plus managed cloud services for governments and enterprises. It competes head-to-head with Northern Block's Orbit Enterprise in public-sector digital identity pilots and trust registry deployments.
- Affinidi: Affinidi, spun out of ConsenSys, offers a verifiable credential and decentralized identity platform (Affinidi Trust Network) with reusable KYC components. It targets similar enterprise and consumer identity use cases as Northern Block, including reusable verified person credentials.
- Trinsic: Trinsic provides an API-first SSI and verifiable credentials platform with a developer ecosystem and wallet infrastructure, targeting enterprises building reusable identity networks. Its product positioning and customer base (issuers, verifiers, wallet consumers) overlap materially with Northern Block's Orbit Enterprise.
- Gataca: Gataca is a European SSI provider offering digital identity wallets and verifiable credential infrastructure built on Hyperledger Indy/Aries. It competes with Northern Block in the public-sector and EU regulatory identity markets, particularly for eIDAS-aligned wallet use cases.
Regional players
- Credivera: Credivera is a Canadian digital credentialing network for workforce and professional credentials. It is both a strategic partner (announced October 2024) and a comparable player for Northern Block in the Canadian verifiable credential market, particularly for organizational and professional credential issuance.
Emerging players
- esatus AG: esatus AG is a German SSI specialist focused on bridging verifiable credentials into enterprise IAM and access management use cases. It is both a strategic Northern Block partner (since 2021) and a comparable emerging player in the SSI-to-IAM integration space, particularly in European markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Northern Block social profiles
Digital presenceNorthern Block compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Northern Block financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Northern Block leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Northern Block funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Northern Block M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Northern Block
What does Northern Block do?
Northern Block develops and sells self-sovereign identity (SSI) software products that enable organizations to issue, manage, and verify digital credentials and decentralized identities. Its portfolio includes the Orbit Enterprise platform for building trusted digital interaction ecosystems, the Orbit Edge Wallet mobile application for storing and presenting verifiable credentials, the Orbit Trust Registry for authoritative governance-backed trust frameworks, and the Verified Person Credential for high-assurance identity verification against government-issued IDs.
Is Northern Block a public or private company?
Northern Block is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Northern Block founded?
Northern Block was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Northern Block based?
Northern Block is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Northern Block make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Platform Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are professional Services.
Who are Northern Block's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Prove (formerly Payfone) and Microsoft Entra Verified ID. Direct peers are Dock Labs, Walt.id, Indicio, Affinidi, Trinsic and Gataca. Credivera is listed as a regional player. esatus AG is listed as an emerging player.
Does Northern Block have an API?
No public API is recorded for Northern Block.
What industry is Northern Block in?
Northern Block's product category is Digital Identity Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPACAL, Compliance Identity & KYC/KYB for Wallets (on-chain identity, reusable KYC, travel rule tooling), with a secondary code of BPAMAEAI, Fraud Prevention & Identity Verification (IDV/KYC).